1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to projection systems, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for capturing and storing lamp operational data in a digital projector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital projection systems are well known in the art, having been used for a number of years in many applications, including the film industry, military and civilian simulations, control rooms, etc. The lamp module in such projectors is expensive and subject to performance degradation over time as a result of usage at various power levels, number of lamp strikes as well as system temperatures at various locations. The inventors have realized that certain benefits can be derived from tracking lamp operational data, such as hours of usage, number of lamp strikes, temperatures, etc., and using this data to address future design issues such as operational differences between rental staging environments and fixed installations in cinema applications, legitimacy of customer equipment return claims, etc.
Quite apart from the foregoing, the inventors have recognized that opening of the lamp access door exposes the high-voltage lamp module power. It is desirable to minimize risk of accidental electrocution when the lamp is not properly installed. According to the prior art, a mechanical push button type switch is provided for deactivating lamp power when the access door is open. However, the switch may be easily bypassed and also introduces cost into production of the lamp module.